Intact 1927 Chevrolet Coupe Found on Board “Cursed” Ship That Sunk 90 Years Ago

U.S.-born Ken Merryman and Jerry Eliason, and British researcher Cris Kohl have been tracking (and finding) wrecks for a living. When they heard the story of the Manasoo, the cursed ship that went down in a storm in 1928 but no one knows the exact cause, they decided to channel all their efforts towards finding her.

And find her they did. The Manasoo lies at the bottom of Lake Huron in Canada, almost in the same position as the one she had when went under: the bottom is sunken in the soft ground, while the bow points upwards. Except for the damage caused by the wreck, she is in impeccable condition, as also is everything else that was on board.

This includes a 1927 Chevrolet Coupe in mint condition... well, except that it’s now covered in mussels. It belonged to Donald Wallace, the only passenger to survive the sinking and the owner of the 100 heads of cattle also present on board.

“It is very rare to see a car, an automobile, on a shipwreck,” Kohl says of the find.

The exact cause of the sinking is not known, but it is believed that the live cargo moved to one side of the ship during the storm, thus shifting her weight and toppling her over. Then, there’s the “curse” that could have brought her down: seamen believe that changing a ship’s name will curse her and ultimately sink her.

Before it went down, the Manasoo traveled the seas under a different name for 39 years. Then, it was sold and renamed – and sunk within a year.

“It’s one of the most beautiful shipwrecks in the Great Lakes. And it really is,” Merryman says. “You don’t find all of that cabin structure intact on many shipwrecks.”